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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - The Dragon

Found this on the Tail Of The Dragon web page
www.tailofthedragon.com


Saturday May 3: A great day on the Dragon with Mini Coopers, lots of cruisers and tourers and even sportbikes being well represented. Add a couple of other sports cars, some dual sports, Subarus, Miatas, Corvettes and even a Maserati. Oddly enough it did not seem too crowded and Nancy and I managed several good runs during the day. Only a couple minor drops, one at the hump and another near the Tapoco Lodge - no injuries. Townsend was crawling with MGs, but they seemed reluctant to try the Dragon. Killboy was on the Dragon taking photos and video. He will be selling prints each weekend at the Tapoco Lodge parking lot just 3 miles south of the Dragon on US 129. Stop in to see if he snapped you at The Hump
Jim Miller

UHHH talk abotu calling us out!!! Man!! I think we ought to write the site and email leting them know a few of you guys did a couple runs oif the dragon. Afraid!?!? Get real!! the MG was made for that type of driving!! GRRR I wish I could have attended, show them what beign affraid is.. I think Jim and I would have had WAY to much fun carrousing with the Y'ocals..
Larry Embrey

Thing that suprised me about the dragon was how "low key" it was. You don't know you're on the dragon till after about the third turn when you're saying "Oh sh*t, this has GOT to be it!" Not until you reach the diehls gap resort is there any sort of "sign" that this was the dragon. I was always under the impression there would be a LOT of signs, and there wasn't. Strange, but ok none the less. A LOT of us MG's made the run, but in comparison to the # of mini's there, it would seem that not many MG's did it.

Perspective is an amazing thing sometimes!
Justin

The Dragon is the ultimate test of steering, suspension and braking systems. I'm surprised that, as cognizant as drivers are to the dangers that this road presents, they still push the envelope of performance in trying to negotiate the course against the clock. Sensibility sets in after the first "near miss" incident when one has misjudged a turn and finds the car heading for the edge - after which recklessness abandon gives way to controlled negotiation.
Jack Renaud and I tried to preserve the stock MG brakes by using engine braking wherever possible but still managed to have a hard charge around the curves that produced this broad grin on both our faces. This is one road that all should experience.
Graham Creswick

I concur with the comments made by those of us who DID DO THE DRAGON...albeit on Thursday or Friday when the "weekend photographer" was not present. I didn't realize that we were on the Dragon until about the 3rd or 4th turn (we entered from the Tennessee side)...My MGC handled GREAT (although I must admit, a couple of the turns REALLY snuck up on me!)

Did anyone else feel that the return trip to Townsend on the Dragon was not quite as challenging as the trip to Deal's Gap? (Or maybe, I had just lost some of my adrenalin rush.)

That being said, I spent most of the day yesterday working on my V8 project.

Regards...

rick ingram
1969 MGC
1978 MGB
1974.5 MGB/GT V8 conversion (3.9 litre Rover)
rick ingram

The trip back to townsend seemed to be mostly down the mountain. Gravity did its thing, and I thought it was WAY easier then going up the mountain. About 3/4 of the way through the way up, I leaned over to my father and said "ok I'm done!" Going up the mountain doesn't seem to ever end! I had MORE then a few turns sneak up on me, though I was trying to go as fast as I could for as long as I could, which might not have been the best idea, but it was still fun. =)


p.s. I talked to my welder this morning, and IRS goes in the car in 2 weeks! *big stupid grin* =)
Justin

The Dragon was the Ultimate Ride. My only regret
was that I did not have a video camera mounted on the
rear bumper so that I could see the turns and my wild flailings of the wheel. I drove up. Graham drove down.
What a great V8 Meet! I put about 1600 miles on the B.
Regards, Jack
John Renaud

I got a laugh out of the sign that said this road has been adopted by the American Roadster Association. I think that was the name of the group.
D Maples

The Dragon was a blast!

They should close it off once a year and turn it into a hillclimb event.

Chuck, Les, and I led the way up on the 1st run Friday morning. With a clear road most of the way (had 2 slow pokes briefly that cost us nearly 2 minutes) we slayed the dragon in 17:02! My tach stayed stuck on 5500 most of the way trying to keep up. Yeeehaaaaa!
Carl

This thread was discussed between 05/05/2003 and 13/05/2003

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